Rep. Wright and Sen. Schultz take on school vouchers, poverty

Wright has been touring with Sen. Dale Schultz, a Richland Center Republican, to discuss rural and voucher schools and promote increases to school funding. Wright lost a bid for re-election, and Schultz is retiring at the end of this term.
Nora G. Hertel/Daily Herald Media

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State Rep. Mandy Wright, Wausau, gestures while talking about education issues at the University of Wisconsin Marathon County in Wausau, Monday, December 1, 2014. She gave a presentation with colleague, State Sen. Dale Schultz, Richland Center.(Photo: Dan Young/Daily Herald Media)Buy Photo

WAUSAU — Local state Rep. Mandy Wright held a final public forum with retiring state Sen. Dale Schultz on funding for rural and voucher schools Monday night, which also served as a send-off for Wright, who lost a re-election bid in November.

Wright, a Wausau Democrat and former teacher, said it's fitting that she wrap up her term discussing education because the topic is near to her heart. The event was Schultz's last forum as a legislator as well — the Republican from Richland Center is retiring after 32 years in the Legislature.

"We don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican — what we have to say tonight is not so partisan," Schultz told a friendly crowd of about two dozen in a lecture hall at the University of Wisconsin Marathon County. He is known for not always conforming to his party's doctrine. Schultz has occasionally voted with Democrats, including on controversial mining legislation.

The two held several forums since July. Schultz said he invited Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, to send a voucher school advocate to join them in the touring discussion. None spoke up at the meeting.

Armed with anecdotes and data from the state Department of Public Instruction Wright and Schultz made a case for increased state funding for public schools.

State aid dropped dramatically in the 2011-12 budget to $500 less per pupil than it was in 2000-01, with adjustments for inflation.

"We're not only letting kids fall through the cracks, but we're widening those cracks," Wright said.

Rural schools

Wright and Schultz showed increasing rates of poverty, indicated in the number of free and reduced-price lunches and homeless students. Free and reduced-price lunch rates have more than doubled in a decade from 21 percent in 2001 to 43 percent in 2012 in Wisconsin.

Lack of jobs in rural areas has driven families to suburbs, Wright said, which leads to declining enrollment and funding in rural schools.

"It's a severe disadvantage," Wright said.

Rural educators are often asked to do more for less money, Schultz said.

Voucher schools

About 83 percent of students attend the public school closest to their homes, Wright said. She does not advocate for the abrupt end of the voucher school program but cautioned against its expansion.

The parental choice — or "voucher" — program provides a state aid payment to a private school on behalf of a student whose parents or guardians meet certain criteria such as income limits.

"I supported this program in the early years and became increasingly disenchanted," Schultz said in front of a slide showing the cost of the program as it climbed from about $730,000 in the school year beginning in 1991 to $212 million projected for the 2014 academic year.

Wright shared anecdotes from visits to a voucher school that didn't have English language programs for refugee students and another that was so rigid that the students didn't have gym time and sat at their desks all day.

Wright and Schultz ended with a call to action to the members of the audience to continue the conversation and organize more forums on the issue.

They outlined possible changes to the school funding formula, such as increasing the revenue limits and accounting for poverty. They highlighted successful and proposed legislation they believe will address issues they've found, including pre-accreditation for voucher schools.

Legislative send-offs

Schultz said that over the course of his three decades in the Legislature, he became a little cynical but felt inspired by Wright's leadership.